Italiano

Buongiorno! (Hello in Italian).

Having reported for work for 3 days now, I can only conclude the Italian in my organization is unorganized, totally cannot take stress but in general, rather friendly.

Being the only Asian working amongst them, the biggest disadvantage is language! They would speak among themselves in Italian - completely ignoring you because they are not good with English. So you have Italiano in the car, in the office, during meetings, over meals, etc... And they are just NOISE to me! HaveO absolutelyO noO clueO whatO theyO sayO! Fortunately for me, there are some colleagues from Austria, Germany & Hungary who do not speak Italian too.

The weather so far is about 2 degrees on average. Have tried their famous Hot Chocolate - very thick & rich, which I believe Tiffany will truly enjoy it! =) The Italian has a habit of drinking coffee after lunch. Most cafeterias here will have a coffee counter (decorated just like the normal bar counter) where people will queue to order a cup of espresso, stand around some tall table counter to chit chat & drink before heading back to office. A cup of espresso cost Euro 0.80 (which is approx. SGD 1.60) - very cheap right? Cheaper than Starbucks back home! Haha...

Italy has the most round-abouts on the road. People here are really crazy drivers! Speeding, cutting & changing lanes recklessly... My company has rented several cars as our transportation. We car pool & so far I have sat on one of those Fiat Pluto (small manual car, manufactured in Italy) driven by Italians. They are crazy!!! Drove at 160km on highway, did round-about at speed of 80km in such small vehicle!

Yesterday, I was given the key to a Fiat Panda which I will be sharing with my room mate. Have not driven on it yet - very challenging with the left hand drive, manual gear, coping to recognize the routes, read the Italian road signs, etc... Have to manage somehow, especially when I have to go up to the Olympic Village in Bardonecchia (mountain) this week.